1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to surgical devices and methods for supporting bone or other tissues and, more specifically, to surgical devices and methods for fusing adjacent vertebrae or other bones.
2. The Relevant Technology
The spinal column is made up of thirty-three vertebrae, each separated by an intervertebral disc. Each disc is slightly compressible, thereby allowing the vertebra above a disc to move relative to the vertebra below the disc. This unique design allows the spine to bend in many directions. The intervertebral discs absorb pounding and compressive forces throughout the lifetime of a person. Through disease, trauma, or normal wear, an intervertebral disc can become damaged or ruptured, thereby creating instability that can lead to pain and loss of function. Such persons often turn to surgery to remove the damaged disc and fuse the corresponding adjacent vertebrae together.
During surgery, the damaged disc is removed and a spinal fusion implant is inserted to replace the damaged disc and restore the spacing between the vertebrae. The spinal implant typically has a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the disc being removed and has openings extending therethrough.
Although there are many different implants that have been used to fuse vertebrae together, conventional implants can suffer from a number of shortcomings. For example, many conventional implants are not rigidly attached to the adjacent vertebrae. As such the implant can potentially move after implantation to a less than optimum location. Other conventional implants are rigidly attached to the vertebrae using screws. While this alleviates the problem of the implant moving after implantation, the manipulating the screws during implantation can be difficult and time consuming.
Furthermore, many conventional intervertebral implants are not stand alone devices; that is, the implant requires external components for the implant to work correctly. For example, many implants require a detached screw to attach the implant to the bone; others require a rod or plate to interconnect the implant to other implants. These external components can make the surgery more complex and can lead to lost parts.
Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to provide a spinal implant that solves some or all of the above problems and/or other limitations known in the art.